Influenza virus and endothelial cells: a species specific relationship.

Kirsty R. Short,Leslie A. Reperant,Edwin J. B. Veldhuis Kroeze,Mathilde Richard,Thijs Kuiken

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2014.00653

Kirsty R. Short, Leslie A. Reperant + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2014.00653

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Abstract

Influenza A virus (IAV) infection is an important cause of respiratory disease in humans. The original reservoirs of IAV are wild waterfowl and shorebirds, where virus infection causes limited, if any, disease. Both in humans and in wild waterbirds, epithelial cells are the main target of infection. However, influenza virus can spread from wild bird species to terrestrial poultry. Here, the virus can evolve into highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Part of this evolution involves increased viral tropism for endothelial cells. HPAI virus infections not only cause severe disease in chickens and other terrestrial poultry species but can also spread to humans and back to wild bird populations. Here, we review the role of the endothelium in the pathogenesis of influenza virus infection in wild birds, terrestrial poultry and humans with a particular focus on HPAI viruses. We demonstrate that whilst the endothelium is an important target of virus infection in terrestrial poultry and some wild bird species, in humans the endothelium is more important in controlling the local inflammatory milieu. Thus, the endothelium plays an important, but species-specific, role in the pathogenesis of influenza virus infection.

Highlights

Influenza A virus (IAV) is a negative-sense RNA virus of the Family Orthomyxoviridae
This endothelial cell tropism can be so striking that in chickens infected with H5N1, IAV antigen is more prevalent in the endothelial cells of the respiratory and intestinal tract than in the epithelial cells of the same tissues (Wibawa et al, 2013)
The interaction between the F11 receptor on platelets and the F11 receptor on endothelial cells (Babinska et al, 2002). This observation is supported by epidemiological evidence from the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, whereby 5.9% of patients hospitalized for influenza virus infection had thrombotic vascular events (Bunce et al, 2011)

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Influenza A virus (IAV) is a negative-sense RNA virus of the Family Orthomyxoviridae. Studies on naturally or experimentally infected chickens show that HPAI can infect the endothelium in a variety of different organs including, but not limited to, the lung, heart, brain, and spleen (Brown et al, 1992; Suarez et al, 1998; Ito et al, 2002; Jones and Swayne, 2004; Nakatani et al, 2005; Muramoto et al, 2006; Swayne, 2007; Nakamura et al, 2008; van Riel et al, 2009; Wibawa et al, 2013) (see Figure 1) This endothelial cell tropism can be so striking that in chickens infected with H5N1, IAV antigen is more prevalent in the endothelial cells of the respiratory and intestinal tract than in the epithelial cells of the same tissues (Wibawa et al, 2013). Treatment of human umbilical vein endothelial cells with TNFα significantly increased platelet binding to the cells by promoting www.frontiersin.org

Brain and Lung

Conjunctiva and Feather pulp

Infectiona Location of viral antigen

Findings

CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS